Santa Clarita, Calif. – The City of Santa Clarita has been recognized with the prestigious 23rd Annual Achievement of Excellence in Procurement® (AEP) Award in 2018 from the National Procurement Institute, Inc. (NPI). This is the eighth time the City has received this award in recognition of its purchasing policies and practices, and marks the fifth consecutive year Santa Clarita has been recognized.

The AEP Award is bestowed upon public and non-profit organizations that obtain a high application score based on standardized criteria. The AEP is awarded annually to recognize innovation, professionalism, electronic procurement, productivity and leadership in the procurement function. The City of Santa Clarita’s procurement ethics standards, eProcurement practices and internal procurement automation received high honors and recognition among judges. Several other areas were also accredited, including the City’s creative and successful annual Vendor Outreach program, centralized procurement authority, internal customer and professional development training programs, the use of electronic systems for bids, quotes, online surplus auctions and the City’s employee Procurement Card program.

The City of Santa Clarita is one of only 65 cities in the United States and Canada to receive this esteemed award in 2018. The Achievement of Excellence in Procurement Award® has the distinction of being sponsored by every major procurement association in the nation and recognizes state-of-the-art best practices in public procurement.

Santa Clarita, Calif. –Santa Clarita Studios, an independent full-service studio, is the most recent business to be featured in the City of Santa Clarita’s Economic Development video, Santa Clarita Business Minute.

Santa Clarita’s varied topography, over 20 sound stages, over 10 movie ranches and thousands of film-friendly locations, combined with the City’s location within the “30-Mile Zone,” make it one of the most filmed areas in California. The City of Santa Clarita is committed to creating an environment that allows the film industry to thrive and be successful. The City’s Film Office is dedicated to making filming in Santa Clarita as affordable, convenient and enjoyable as possible for production, while balancing the needs of the community’s residents and businesses.

In the latest edition of the Santa Clarita Business Minute, learn more about Santa Clarita Studios, a local studio offering a comprehensive package of products and services to meet all production needs. Countless productions have based and filmed at Santa Clarita Studios over the years, including Netflix’s soon-to-be-released “Santa Clarita Diet,” airing on February 3 and “Atypical.” In addition, TBS’ “The Guest Book,” Freeform’s “Stitchers” and “Switched at Birth,” ABC’s “Mistresses,” FX’s “Justified,” and “The Riches,” CBS’ “CSI” and “The Unit,” HBO’s “Deadwood,” TNT’s “Franklin & Bash,” and Fox’s “Melrose Place” have all filmed at the studio. Movies like A Wrinkle in Time, Magic Camp, Fast & Furious, Bobby, True Lies and Planet of the Apes have also utilized the studio for filming.

In the video, Santa Clarita Studios executives discuss the City of Santa Clarita’s film-friendly and business-friendly approach to filming in Santa Clarita.

“There are so many things we wouldn’t be able to get done, if it wasn’t for the responsive team in the City, if it wasn’t for how film-friendly Santa Clarita is as a City,” said Richard Deutsch, Vice President of Santa Clarita Studios. “Everyone from the Mayor’s Office, to L.A. County Fire, to the Film Office, to the Economic Development group, they’re all there for us. I think we’re not the only industry that would say that. You really have their support as a business here in Santa Clarita.”

The Santa Clarita Business Minute is avideo campaign designed to spotlight successful local companies. Santa Clarita Studios is one of more than 6,000 diverse global, national and regional companies that call Santa Clarita home. The most recent video, as well as others, can be viewed at ThinkSantaClarita.com.

For more information about the Santa Clarita Business Minute and to learn why companies like Santa Clarita Studios choose to do business and expand in Santa Clarita, visit ThinkSantaClarita.com.

Santa Clarita, Calif. – The City of Santa Clarita has been named The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation’s (LAEDC) 2016 Most Business-Friendly City in Los Angeles County in the population of 68,000 and over category.

Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County’s third largest City, was recognized for the community minded and business driven approach to economic development, the priority of providing high quality jobs for local residents and the creation of an environment where businesses can focus on what they do best. In Santa Clarita, this is accomplished by a team of economic development professionals, business focused City departments, and strong partnerships with business associations and community organizations.

“To once again be named the Most Business Friendly City in Los Angeles County by the LAEDC is a true testament of our dedication to the business community,” said Mayor Bob Kellar. “An array of small mom and pop restaurants to national corporate headquarters make up the business landscape in Santa Clarita and we continue to provide valuable resources that help our businesses of all sizes prosper.”

Santa Clarita was selected as a winner through independent review based on the demonstration of commitment to economic development; excellence in programs and services designed to facilitate business entry, expansion and retention; competitive business tax rates and fee structures; availability of economic incentives; and effective communication with and about business clients.

The City of Santa Clarita was a finalist for this award in 2015, 2014, 2007 and 2006. In 2008, the City was named the Most Business Friendly City in Los Angeles County in the population of 50,000 and over category. For more information about the City of Santa Clarita’s Economic Development division, programs and incentives, visitThinkSantaClarita.com.

Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar officially announces the agreement between the City of Santa Clarita, the County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, taking the first steps toward building Santa Clarita Valley’s first new Sheriff’s Station since the 1970’s. Groundbreaking on the three year building project is expected to break ground in about a year. Photo by Margie Anne Clark.

Santa Clarita, Calif. – The City of Santa Clarita announced that the City of Santa Clarita, the County of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have taken the first steps toward building Santa Clarita Valley’s first new Sheriff’s Station since the 1970’s.

“Ground breaking for the new Sheriff’s Station will be in about a year,” said City of Santa Clarita Mayor Bob Kellar at a press conference on Monday announcing the new station.

“It’s because of partnerships like, that this city has been able to become such a great city,” Kellar noted.

Kellar thanked and acknowledged county and city officials for their role in helping to maintain and enhance the quality of of life for residents of the Santa Clarita Valley.

The state of the art 51 million dollar facility will be located on City-owned property on Golden Valley Road between Centre Pointe Parkway and Robert C. Lee Parkway, where the temporary Los Angeles County Fire Station 104 is currently located. The new two-story, 44,339 square-foot Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station will include a 4,000 square-foot service garage and helipad.

The current Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station, located at 23740 Magic Mountain Parkway, was completed in 1972 and is 25,100 square-feet in size. Since the time the station was built, the population of the Santa Clarita Valley has increased from approximately 50,000 to 299,000. The new station will allow deputies to effectively serve the entire valley.

“I thank everybody for helping us to getting to this point,” said Chief Jacques “Anthony” LaBerge of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. LaBerge noted that he envisioned the idea of a new Sheriff’s station in the SCV more than 10 years ago when he served as the Captain of the SCV division.

On May 24, 2016, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was approved by the Santa Clarita City Council that provides joint funding by the County of Los Angeles and the City of Santa Clarita for the construction of a new, centrally-located station. On May 31, 2016, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the MOU.

The new station will be located on City-owned property on Golden Valley Road between Centre Pointe Parkway and Robert C. Lee Parkway, where the temporary Los Angeles County Fire Station 104 is currently located. The new two-story, 44,339 square-foot Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station will include a 4,000 square-foot service garage and helipad.

The estimated cost for construction of the new station is $51 million, as follows: $38.5 million for construction, $11.5 million for design and project management, and $1 million for furniture and lockers. The County of Los Angeles will contribute $15 million to the project, and the remaining $36 million will be funded by the City of Santa Clarita. The new Sheriff’s Station will be constructed under the management of and owned by the City of Santa Clarita.

A new and larger Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station is part of the City’s Santa Clarita 2020 Community Strategic Plan. Information regarding the SantaClarita2020.com gives a complete list of projects, programs and services the City is working toward.